(Tbilisi. March 25, 2003. Civil Georgia)
- Secretary of the Russian Security Council Vladimir Rushailo said
on March 24 Russian and Georgian authorities will renew joint activities
on return of the Chechen refugees living in Georgia's Pankisi gorge.

"The Russian President has already
requested the Emergency Ministry to start working on the issue," Russian
media sources report quoting Vladimir Rushailo, which held talks with his
Georgian counterpart Tedo Japaridze in Moscow.

(Tbilisi. March 14, 2003. Civil Georgia)
- Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Iran is ready to cooperate
with Russia in establishing stability and security in the North Caucasus.

In the interview to the Russian news
agency RIA Novosti Kamal Kharrazi said that the issue of ensuring stability
in the Caucasus, particularly in Chechnya, Nagorno-Karabakh and Abkhazia
was discussed during the talks with the Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

President Shevardnadze called his meeting
with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia's Black Sea resort
of Sochi on March 6-7, a "beginning of the new and important phase"
in Russo-Georgian relations. At the meeting, which was primarily dedicated
to the Abkhazian issues, the two presidents also talked about bilateral
cooperation against terrorism.

"I was quite skeptical about this
meeting. However, I must say that the talks with Mr. Putin brought very
positive results.

(Tbilisi. March 10, 2003. Civil Georgia)
- "Georgia is ready to discuss creating of federative republic
in which Abkhazia will be granted special rights," Georgian President
Shevardnadze said at the news briefing today.

Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze opened
two days of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 6 at the
Black Sea resort of Sochi. Discussions aim to ease bilateral tension on
a variety of issues, with the Georgian leader focusing much of his attention
on the Abkhazia issue.

Russia and Georgia have sparred over
separatist-minded Abkhazia in recent months. On March 3, Shevardnadze sought
to downplay expectations of a major advance.

(Tbilisi. March 7, 2003. Civil Georgia)
- The joint statement of the Georgian and Russian President's adopted
after the talks held today in Russia's Black Sea resort Sochi.

The statement reads that the process
of resumption of the railway connection between Sochi and Tbilisi via Abkhazia
"should be synchronized with the process of return of IDPs in Abkhazia,
first of all in Gali district."

According to the statement for the implementation
of the decision a Russian-Georgian joint governmental commission will be
created.

(Tbilisi, September 2, 2003, Civil Georgia)
- Russian Minister for the Chechnya Stanislav Iliasov told the reporters
in Tbilisi that Moscow guarantees security for the Chechen refugees willing
to return in Chechnya.

Stanislav Iliasov said he hopes the repatriation
will start in late September.

"Russian Government is ready to
grant compensation payments for housing and unemployment benefits in case
of repatriation," Stanislav Iliasov said after the meeting with Georgian
President Shevardnadze on September 1.